Support cradle for rolled coils and other cylindrical objects

ABSTRACT

A cradle unit for supporting metal coils, and other cylindrical objects, consists of two, parallel and separate saddles preferably made of polyurethane having an approximate hardness range of between 50 Shore A and 90 Shore D, which saddles are connected together via a pair of parallel steel angle-brackets that provide inherent structural integrity to the cradle unit itself, while still allowing the unit to conform to the shape or level of the underlying support structure. The single cradle unit may be as a mobile support-device, or may be bolted or otherwise attached to a surface for a specific location of the stored product. The cradle unit of the invention may, also, be attached to the bed of a transportation vehicle, such as a truck trailer or rail car, in order to provide secure, protective storage and location of the items. In this case, the nature of the resilient or soft material from which the cradle unit is made provides shock-absorption qualities for the transported coil. The cradle unit is generally concave-shaped and has a first main or central lower concave curvature of a first radius, and a middle or secondary transitional curvature that connects the first main lower curvature to an upper, tertiary concave curvature of a second radius greater than the first radius, so that coils or rolls of different diameter may be safely and firmly supported.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a cradle unit, or supportingmember, for supporting and storing coils, such as wound rolls or coilsof long lengths of thin flat material made of steel, other metal, paper,or the like, which are processed, handled, stored and transported withthe longitudinal axis of the coil oriented in the horizontal direction.When stored in their semi-finished, in-process stage between operations,in their finished state awaiting shipment, or during actual shipment andfinal storage during actual use, these coils are placed in designatedstaging areas by supporting them on the floor, since allowing thesecoils to rest directly on the floor or other flat surface would producehighly-stressed loading at the tangential contact points. Even thoughthese coils may be made of metal, they are relatively soft or pliable,and susceptible to damage from scratching, denting or surface-markingwhen they impinge upon debris on the floor or on another hard storagesurface.

Many locations where coils are stored are on floors that are not flat,tending to misshape or deform the coil over time. Coils may also bedamaged from flattening or denting when set down during handlingoperations, or from excessive pressure or weight while sitting instorage due to single-point tangential and high surface-loading. Thissituation is exacerbated when coils are stacked during storage, which iscommon in the metals industries. Therefore, significant expense isincurred from the lost metal and rework of the damaged coils.Additionally, stacked coils, when stored on flat floors, represent asafety hazard from roll out of the bottom tier of the stack. Thissituation is hazardous to personnel, the facilities and the coils thatwould be affected by such a collapse of the stack.

There have been used a number of various techniques in an attempt toaddress the above-mentioned problems. Some of these techniques include:setting coils on rubber or fabric belting; using rubber or polyurethanepads with slight indentations to cradle the coil; using “V”-shapedblocks made of polyurethane, plastic, wood or metal; and unitized skidsof plastic, wood or metal, or other similarly constructed devices tocontain or protect the coils.

Polyurethane, rubber and plastic coil-support devices possess theability to cushion the coil during set-down. These devices are typicallymolded or formed into a single unit, and do not provide suitablestrength or structural integrity to support stacks of coils without theuse of additional, independent, and separate support structures. Woodsupports are not resilient or durable, while metal fabricated supportsdo not cushion and offer a surface that has is basically the same as abare floor. Unitized fabrications of wood, plastic or steel areexpensive to build, do not offer the durability and protection of aresilient support, and do not conform or adapt to uneven floorconditions.

An example of a prior-art support is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,503,978—Smit, et al., and discloses a support for rolled coils made ofpolyethylene. The supports of this patent do not generally provideadequate structural support, and, therefore, are typically supported byU-shaped steel channels bolted to the floor, or other supportingsurfaces, and are generally not conformable to a supportunder-structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, the primary objective of the present invention toprovide a support cradle for coils, rolls, or other cylindrical objectsthat provides its own inherent structural integrity for solelysupporting a coil thereon, while also conforming to the under-structureupon which it is rests, which support cradle may be used to supportcoils or rolls of different diameter.

It is, also, the primary objective of the present invention to providesuch a support cradle that provides its own inherent structuralintegrity for supporting a coil thereon, while also conforming to theunder-structure upon which it is secured, which support may also beconnected to other like-cradles for forming a multi-unit cradle-supportfor supporting a series of coils thereon, while still maintaining itsconforming characteristics for preventing damage to the coils supportedthereon, and for safely stacking of rows of coils thereabove.

In accordance with the invention, the cradle unit for supporting metalcoils, and other cylindrical objects, consists of two parallel andseparate cradle-sections or saddles made of polyurethane having ahardness range of between 50 Shore A and 90 Shore D, whichcradle-sections are joined or connected together via a pair of parallelsteel angle-brackets that provide inherent structural integrity to thecradle unit itself, while still allowing the saddles to conform to theshape or level of the underlying support structure, whereby a pluralityof cradle units may be used for supporting coils in a tiered stack. Thesingle cradle unit may be used as a mobile support-device, or may bebolted or otherwise attached to a surface for a specific location of thestored product. The cradle unit of the invention may, also, be attachedto the bed of a transportation vehicle, such as a truck trailer or railcar, in order to provide secure, protective storage and location of theitems. In this case, the nature of the resilient or soft material fromwhich the cradle unit is made provides shock-absorption qualities forthe transported coil.

The cradle unit generally defines a concave-shaped upper surface, andhas a first main or central lower concave curvature of a first radius, apair of middle or secondary transitional curvature-sections that connectthe first main lower curvature to a pair of upper, tertiary concavecurvature-sections of a second radius greater than the first radius, sothat coils or rolls of different diameter may be safely and firmlyaccommodated.

In a modification of the invention, a multiple-unit version is providedwhere a series of cradle units of the invention are connected togetherto form one elongated integral support structural unit. Thismodification is a unitized rack that forms a row-storage arrangementwhere the stored coils or objects are stored randomly along the lengthof the rack, for securing and protecting the stored coils or objects,with the coils arranged lengthwise along the length of the rack.

In yet another modification, each cradle unit is provided withoutwardly-projecting oil-receiving pans or reservoirs for collecting oilor other liquid lubricant seeping or draining out from the ends of thecoil supported thereby. These pans provide for the containment of thefluid to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment, andprovide for safe, easy recovery and disposal of the liquid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more readily understood with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the cradle unit for supporting a coil,roll, or other cylindrical object in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side, elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is an end view thereof;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view showing a series of cradle units of FIG. 1being used to support a tiered stack of coils or rolls;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 5 showing the force vectorsacting on the coils or rolls and on the series of cradle unitssupporting the stack of coils or rolls;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a modification in which a series ofcradle units of FIG. 1 are provided in one unitary structure for forminga rack for supporting a series of coils, rolls, or other cylindricalobjects in a row;

FIG. 8 is an end view thereof;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 10 is an isometric view showing a series of cradle racks of FIG. 7being used to support a plurality of stacked rows of coils or rolls;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of another modification of the cradle unitof FIG. 1 with the addition of a pair of end-pans serving as reservoirsfor collecting lubricant draining from coils or rolls supported orstacked thereon;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 13 is a top view thereof; and

FIG. 14 is an end view thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, and to FIGS. 1-6 fornow, there is shown a cradle unit 10 of the invention for supporting acoil, roll, or other large cylindrical object. The cradle unit 10consists of a pair of parallel-arranged, identical end-cradle sectionsor saddles 12, 14 preferably made of polyurethane, and preferably in thehardness range of between 50 Shore A and 90 Shore D. The length of eachend-cradle section or saddle 12, 14 depends upon the size or sizes ofthe coils or rolls to be supported. In one example, each end-cradlesection is thirty three inches in length and three inches in width. Eachend-cradle section or saddle 12, 14 defines an upwardly-facing concavesupporting surface 16, 18 which consists of a first lower or mainportion 16′, 18′, respectively, having a first radius R1, and secondupper or tertiary end portions 16″, 18″ each having a second radius R2that is greater than the radius R1. Connecting the surface-portion 16′or 18′ with the portions 16″ or 18″ are transitional curvature-portionsor regions 20, 22, respectively. The values of R1 and R2 will varydepending upon the size of coils or rolls to be supported. The value R1corresponds to the radius of the minimal coil or roll to be supported bythe cradle 10, while the value R2 corresponds to the radius of themaximal coil or roll to be supported by the cradle 10. In the examplegiven above, the first radius R1 is twenty inches, while the secondradius R2 is thirty six inches, with the height of each end-cradlesection or saddle increasing from a minimum of one inch at the midpointor center to a maximum of five inches at the extremity or end 24, 26.

With regard to the transitional regions 20, 22, it is noted that thefirst lower or main portion 16′, 18′ and the second upper or tertiaryend portions 16″, 18″ not only have different radii R1 and R2, but, ofcourse, also have different points of centers pt1 and pt2, respectively.The shape or curvature of each transition region 20, 22 is formed bygenerating a number of circles of different radii and from a varyingcenter position pt between the center points pt1 and pt2 in a linearrelationship. Using the equation: pt=pt1+(pt2−ptl)/(r2−r1)*abs(r1−r),where pt is a center point of a transitional circle and r is the radiusof the transitional circle, connecting the tangents of these generatedcircles form the curve of each transition region 20,22.

The cradle unit 10 also includes a pair of parallel-arranged steelangle-brackets 30, 32 which provide the inherent structural integrity tothe unit. Each angle-bracket connects corresponding ends of the twoend-cradle sections 12, 14, as seen in FIG. 1. Each angle-bracket 30, 32consists of a horizontal section 34 and a vertical section 36, with arespective end of a cradle unit being nestled therein. The right-anglebrackets are bonded to the ends of the end-cradle sections byconventional bonding techniques, whereby a flexible and adaptablerectilinear-shaped structure is formed. In the above-mentioned example,the length of each angle-bracket is thirty six inches, with the width ofeach of the horizontal and vertical sections being three inches, andmade of 3/16 steel. Each horizontal section 34 is provided with a pairof holes 46 for passing therethrough bolts for securing the cradle unit10 to a floor or other under-structure.

Referring to FIG. 5 and 6, it may be seen how a series of cradle units10 may be used to support a tiered vertical stack of rows of coils orrolls 40. The force vector diagram depicts coils C1 through C8 stackedon the coil cradle units 10 of the invention. The loads are calculatedas if the stack continues on to the left of the diagram. Each coil shownhas been assumed to be of a 72″ O.D. and a weight W. Because of thestacking, the downward force W splits into the two vector forces W_(L)and W_(R). For purposes of clarity, only coil C2 has been shown with theforces labeled. On the middle row, the forces acting on coil C4 are itsweight W plus W_(R) from coil C1 and W_(L) from coil C2. The resultantforce, 2·W, is drawn using vector addition. The forces acting on coil C5are its weight W plus W_(R) from coil C2. The resultant force is drawnusing vector addition. On the bottom row, the forces acting on coil C6are its weight W plus 2·W_(R) from coil C3 and 2·W_(L) from coil C4. Theresultant force, 3·W, is drawn using vector addition. The forces actingon coil C7 are its weight W plus 2·W_(R) from coil C4 and W_(L) fromcoil C5. The resultant force is drawn using vector addition. The forcesacting on coil C8 are its weight W plus 2·W_(R) from coil. The resultantforce is drawn using vector addition. On the bottom row, lines are drawnfrom the center of the coils to the edges of the ends 24, 26 of thecradle units. If the resultant force vectors remain in between theselines, the stack will be stable, assuming that the coils in the stackare frictionless and not considering inertia. In actual use, the stackcould be stable even if this limit were somewhat exceeded. Because ofthe provision of two separate upper curved sections of different radiiR1 and R2 for each cradle unit, multiple layers of coils of differentdiameter may be more safely stacked, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, there is a shown a modification in which aseries of cradle units 10 are provided to form a rack 50 of cradles forsupporting a plurality of individual coils thereon end-to-end to form aladder-like structure. The rack 50 consists of a plurality of cradleelements 52 similar to the end-cradle sections 12, 14 of the cradle unit10, which cradle sections 52 are interconnected together by a pair ofelongated steel angle-brackets 54, 56 similar to the angle-brackets 30,32 of the cradle unit 10 of FIG. 1. The spacing between the cradleelements 52 is generally less than the spacing between the end-cradlesections or saddles 12, 14 of the cradle unit 10. Whereas the spacingbetween the cradle sections 12, 14 in one example cited above is thirtyinches, the spacing between adjacent cradle elements 52 is 15-¼ inches,so that, not only variously-sized rolls or coils of different diametersmay be supported and stored on the rack 50, but also coils or rolls ofdifferent lengths may be supported thereby. In addition, owing to theseries arrangement of cradle sections 52, the placing of a coil or rollon the rack 50 may be achieved at any portion along the length thereofthereby allowing facility of placement and storage. A plurality of racks50 maybe employed in parallel formation, as shown in FIG. 10, in orderto allow for support and storage of multiple, stacked rows of coils orrolls 40. The spacing between racks 50 is dependent upon the size of thecoils or rolls 40 to be supported. Each individual rack 50 is bolted tothe floor or under-structure by bolts passing through theangle-brackets, in the same manner described above with reference to thecradle unit 10. In addition, oil pans similar to oil pans describedhereinbelow with reference to FIGS. 11-14, may also be used forcollecting oil, or other fluid. It is noted that the individual rolls orcoils are supported end-to-end, with their longitudinal axes beingparallel to the length of the rack, whereby the rack 50 supports them inthe manner that has hithertofore only been done using a coil pad. Thus,the rack 50 serves the dual function of acting as cradle supports and asa coil pad.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-14, there is shown another modification 60 ofthe cradle unit 10 in which a pair of oil-collecting pans or reservoirs62, 64 are provided at the ends of the cradle unit in order to collectoil or other lubricant or fluid seeping or draining out from the ends ofthe coil supported thereby. These pans provide for the containment ofthe fluid to prevent contamination of the surrounding environment, andprovide for safe, easy recovery and disposal of the liquid. Eachoil-collection pan 62, 64 is preferably formed integrally with therespective cradle section 12, 14, and typically has a width of twelveinches and a length of two feet. Each pan 62, 64 is provided with anupstanding lip or rim 62′, 64′ for containing the oil. The rest of thecradle unit 60 is substantially identical to the cradle unit 10.

The cradle of the invention adapts readily and inherently to the contourof the underlying support structure or floor, with the spacing betweenthe angle-brackets and between the saddles providing a self-adaptingunitary structure, so that uneven or contoured floors will not adverselyaffect the support provided by the cradle of the invention. Moreover,the inherent resiliency of the material used in the saddles offershock-absorption characteristics.

While the preferred material for the saddles has been indicated as beingpolyurethane, other, comparable or equivalent material may be usedinstead, or composites thereof. Some of these other materials are, forexample: nylon; nyrim; polyethylene of all molecular weights (ultrahigh, high density, medium density, low density, copolymers,homopolymers); rubber such as SBR, EPDM, nitrile, Neoprene(polychloroprene), natural, Hypalon (chlorosulfonated polyethylenerubber), butyl; granulated and rebonded rubber; and recycled plastics;recycled plastic/wood flour or other similarly formulated blends;polypropylene; vinyl (PVC). It is also within the scope and purview ofthe invention to use materials having a Shore A through Shore D hardnessdifferent from that mentioned hereinabove, as long as structuralintegrity is imparted to the saddle elements.

While specific dimensions have been given hereinabove, it is to beunderstood that these have been given only by way of example. The actualdimensions may vary depending upon the lengths and diameters of thecoils or rolls intended to be supported.

While the transition regions 20, 22 have been described as having shapeor contour described hereinabove, it is to be understood that othermethods for producing the shape or contour thereof may employed, as wellother different shapes and curvature.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that numerous changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

1. A support cradle for supporting coils, rolls, and other cylindricalobjects, comprising: a pair of parallel saddle elements; each saidsaddle element comprising a substantially concave upper surface uponwhich is adapted to rest a portion of a coil or roll,oppositely-disposed end portions, and a bottom surface for restingdirectly on an underlying surface; said concave upper surface comprisinga central, lower curved section of a radius R1, and a pair of terminalupper curved sections each of a radius R2 greater than R1, and a pair oftransitional sections, each said transitional section transitioning fromsaid central, lower curved section to a respective one of said pair ofterminal upper curved sections, said central, lower curved section ofsaid radius R1 being capable of supporting a coil or roll, and each saidpair of terminal upper curved sections of said radius R2 being capableof supporting a coil or roll; and a pair of parallel connectingelements, each said connecting element connecting correspondingrespective end portions of the said pair of saddle elements in order toform a rectilinear-shaped structure; each of said pair of parallelconnecting elements comprising a right-angle bracket having avertically-upright section and a horizontal section extendinghorizontally in relation to said vertically-upright section, saidhorizontal section resting upon an underlying surface for supporting thesupport cradle thereon, said corresponding respective end portions ofsaid pair of parallel saddle elements being nestled in a respective saidright-angle bracket and being fixedly connected to at least one of saidvertically-upright section and said horizontal section thereof, andresting on a respective said horizontal section, whereby the supportcradle is adaptable to variously-shaped and contoured underlyingsurfaces; each said horizontal section comprising mounting means forsecuring the cradle to an underlying surface.
 2. The support cradle forsupporting coils, rolls, and other cylindrical objects according toclaim 1, wherein said material from which said pair of parallel saddleelements is made of a material in the approximate hardness range ofbetween 50 Shore A and 90 Shore D.
 3. The support cradle for supportingcoils, rolls, and other cylindrical objects according to claim 2,wherein each of said pair of parallel saddle elements is made ofpolyurethane.
 4. The support cradle for supporting coils, rolls, andother cylindrical objects according to claim 1, comprising a series ofsaid pair of saddle elements connected together to form a rack ofrow-storage arrangement of support cradles; said rack comprising saidpair of parallel connecting elements, each of said pair of connectingelements connecting corresponding end portions of all of said series ofsaid saddle elements.
 5. A rack of support cradles for supporting coils,rolls, and other cylindrical objects, comprising: a series ofparallel-arranged saddle elements; each said saddle element comprising apair of oppositely-disposed ends, a substantially concave upper surfacebetween said oppositely-disposed ends upon which is adapted to rest aportion of a coil or roll and a bottom surface for resting directly onan underlying support surface; said concave upper surface defining acentral, lower curved section of a radius R1, and a pair of terminalupper curved sections each of a radius greater than R1, and pair oftransitional sections, each said transitional section transitioning fromsaid central, lower curved section to a respective one of said pair ofterminal upper curved sections; said central, lower curved section ofsaid radius R1 capable of supporting a coil or roll and each said pairof terminal upper curved sections capable of supporting a coil or roll;and a pair of parallel connecting elements extending transversely withrespect to said series of saddles elements, each said connecting elementconnecting corresponding ends of said series of saddle elements to forma rectilinear structure; said rectilinear structure defining a lengthparallel to and in the direction of the length of said pair ofconnecting elements; each of said pair of parallel connecting elementscomprising a first vertical section and a second horizontal sectionprojecting from said first vertical section toward the other of saidpair of connecting elements; said second horizontal section defining anupper surface, and a bottom surface for resting and supporting the rackon an underlying surface; the respective said corresponding ends of saidseries of parallel saddle elements being connected to at least one ofsaid first vertical section and said second horizontal section, andsupported on said upper surface of said second horizontal section. 6.The rack of support cradles for supporting coils, rolls, and othercylindrical objects according to claim 5, wherein each said saddleelement is made of polyurethane in the hardness range of betweenapproximately 50 Shore A and 90 Shore D.
 7. The rack of support cradlesfor supporting coils, rolls, and other cylindrical objects according toclaim 5, in combination with a series of cylindrical objects supportedthereby; each said cylindrical object defining a longitudinal axis; saidseries of cylindrical objects being arranged on said series of saddleelements along the lengths thereof so that the longitudinal axes thereofare parallel to said connecting elements, whereby the series ofcylindrical objects are arranged end-to-end with each said cylindricalobject being supported by at least two of said series of saddleelements.
 8. In a support cradle for supporting large-diameter coils,rolls, and other cylindrical objects on a surface, comprising a pair ofparallel saddle elements, the improvement comprising: each said saddleelement comprising a substantially concave upper surface upon which isadapted to rest a portion of a coil or roll, a pair ofoppositely-disposed ends, and a bottom surface for resting directly onan underlying surface; said concave upper surface comprising a central,lower curved section of a radius R1, and a pair of terminal upper curvedsections each of a radius R2 greater than R1, and a pair of transitionalsections, each said transitional section transitioning from saidcentral, lower curved section to a respective one of said pair ofterminal upper curved sections, said central, lower curved section ofsaid radius R1 capable of supporting a coil or roll and each said pairof terminal upper curved sections of said radius R2 capable ofsupporting a coil or roll; and a pair of parallel connecting elements,each said connecting element connecting corresponding respective ends ofthe said pair of saddle elements in order to form a rectilinear-shapedstructure; each of said pair of parallel connecting elements comprisinga right-angle-bracket having a substantially vertically-upright sectionand a substantially horizontal section extending horizontally inrelation to said vertically-upright section, said horizontal sectionresting upon an underlying surface for supporting the support cradlethereon; said corresponding respective ends of said pair of parallelsaddle elements being nestled in a respective said right-angle bracketand being fixedly connected to at least one of said vertically-uprightsection and said horizontal section thereof, and resting on a respectivesaid horizontal section; said bottom surfaces of said saddle elements incombination with said horizontal sections of said right-angle bracketssupporting the cradle in an adaptable and conforming manner onvariously-contoured underlying surfaces.
 9. The support cradle forsupporting coils, rolls, and other cylindrical objects on a surface,according to claim 8, wherein each said right-angle bracket is made ofmetal, and each said saddle element is made of plastic.
 10. The supportcradle for supporting coils, rolls, and other cylindrical objectsaccording to claim 9, wherein each said saddle element is made ofpolyurethane in the hardness range of between approximately 50 Shore Aand 90 Shore D.
 11. The support cradle for supporting coils, rolls, andother cylindrical objects on a surface, according to claim 8, whereineach said transitional section of said upper concave surface beingformed by generating a number of circles of different radii and from avarying center position pt[i] between the center points pt1 and pt2 in alinear relationship using the following equation:pt[1]=pt1+(pt2−pt1)/(r2−r1) * abs(r1−r[i]), where pt[i] is a centerpoint of a transitional circle and r[1] is the radius of thetransitional circle.